Benfica ready to pay €20m for Equi Fernández | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen are prepared to offload Equi Fernández after one season, and last season’s sixth-placed finishers may have found a potential suitor. According to a report from Bild, Benfica are prepared to pay around €20m to sign the Argentine.

Die Werkself are willing to listen to offers for Fernández, but they are looking to recoup the €25m they paid for the defensive-midfielder last season. The 23-year-old made 30 appearances across all competitions last season for Leverkusen, but caused a stir when he refused to be substituted on in the 90th minute of Bayer’s 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on 11 April, which resulted in Kasper Hjulmand dropping him for the next match.

Although Benfica’s interest is concrete, Bild note that there is no contact between the two clubs, as of yet, and that the Portuguese side must offload players first.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder